how is my rig?

[wontbme]

hi i'm a first time owner of any reptile and i suppose choosing a cham wasnt the best first-timers "pet" but i absolutely love them and i've had an awful lot of fun with my cham.

so, we'll start with the chameleon herself
She's a 4-month old veiled chameleon. so far, she's been eating since i purchased her, crickets, worms and even leafy greens.
i've hand fed her several times which i suppose means she isn't terrified of me, but she does naturally flee when i get too close. (this IS natural right?)

my humidity is at minimum 38, which i figure is %'ge. and highest something like 60. i can definately get it higher but i've read that 40-60 is the target range, right?

my temperature is 82~ degrees basking, and about 78 everywhere else. my cham basks about a foot away from my lamp.

the cage is... well, specs i can't honestly tell due to my lack of measuring tape (i'll get the real specs asap) but to start i have a hard time finding her when i haven't been observing her for too long. the cage looks like it could fit 50 of her (yes only one in there) as i said, i'll get the REAL numbers asap, but just a general note...

the cage contains a small "log" that extends vertically, several fake plants, that i poked through the cage so that they would hang, so she could freely climb on, four live plants that i got from a petco for humidity purposes, no signs of dead leaves whatsoever. a "small" vine that twists and twirls, three directions, towards the middle, under the lamp for basking (which she uses) and behind several plants for privacy (she uses that to sleep mostly)
also, please note that i have inside some "pet grass" that i got from a kaputos, it's edible to humans doesnt contains cat nip or anything else it's a very natural grass. i've seen her eat it the very first day twice so far, probably more as i leave it unattended occasionally. Is this acceptable?

another question,
i feed her 5 gut loaded crickets and maybe one or two worms every other day. is this too little or too much for a 4 month cham?

also, how important is the location of the enclosure? the cage is about two feet and a half from the ground, is that too high??
also, it's right next to my tv, for it is in my room... is that bad? i imagine it is but well i'd really rather she be with me at all times because i have family and this is the least traffic area besides the basement (which is freezing cold)

if it's bad then i'll move her further from my tv... shes not DIRECTLY next to it but about a meter and a half from it. her colours are typically very bright (really green)

sorry i know its alot of text but i'll make a TLDR incase you came to help

is pet grass good? assuming it has no added chemicals or cat nip
location of cage important?
is cage too small or too big?
how much should i feed a cham of 4 months? currently feeding 5 daily

 

[wontbme]

she's almost 5 months, and is a veiled
the cage is 16x16x21.5

 

[veiled]

i can answer a few questions for you hopefuly but some senior members may have answers to others such as the grass question(i have no idea). so 1st welcome to the forum. im fairly new here too but not to chameleons. i think your enclosure is too small for a 5 month veiled. she will be getting close to egg laying age and you will need to put a laying bin down so you will need a bigger cage. lll reptiles.com have nice inexspensive cages

 

[veiled]

the height off the ground is good. just cover the cage with a sheet if you are watching tv after her lights go out so you dont disturb her

 

[veiled]

and 5 crickets doesnt seem like enough for a 5 month old. but it depends on the size of the crickets you are feeding and how big the worms are and what kind. my 2 1/2 month old eats about 4 small crickets and 1-2 hornworms a day. somedays more somedays less

 

[carol5208]

First of all, welcome to the forums! A couple of things here...Your chameleon needs to be fed everyday at that age. not every other, and you should be offering her atleast 15 small crickets a day and a few small worms as treats would be ok. you are underfeeding her with what you are giving her. You say greens, how much greens is she eating? How are you providing water? Dripper, mister? i don't know anything about pet grass but I would not have it in my cage. Never hear of anyone feeding that to their chameleon. Also if you are dripping and misting in the cage(which you should be) then the grass will get wet and could harbor a fungus or bacteria. you are best to leave the cage floor bare! Might not look the best, but in the best interest of your chameleon. Your temps are good, your humidity is ok, not the greatest at 40 Your cage size is small and is going to need to be upgraded soon. What kind of UVB light are you using?

 

[wontbme]

thanks so much guys, okay to answer your questions

uvb light is the zoomed 5.o
i AM using a dripper, it's a mock of the hospitals IV systems, with the cord loose and dripping into the cage
i mist 3 to 4 times a day for about 2-3 minutes
i bumped up her food to 8 recently, but i'm severly underfeeding her so i'll do 15
the "pet grass" is just ordinary wheat grass and i've read it's good for digestive systems...

eggs, where will she lay them? and since i need a "place" how can i build one or whatever?

cage size being small is a real bummer i figured it was big enough, i'll take care of that asap

what do you mean by bare? no substrate? or no plants? how can i keep live plants if its bare?

 

[Leroux2008]

What carol means is you need no substrate plants are dfinitely fine... keep them in pots. but youll need something in the bottom of the cage to catch water from the dripper if not... you have a water problem and bacteria problem from that.

 

[Leroux2008]

Some people will take a small trash can you can buy from the store for like 5-10 bux feel it up with either moist play sand or most soil (non fertilized) and when they see the female scratching around at the bottom and she looks rather plump and lumpy they will take her out and put her in the laying bin..... others like me put one inside of the cage. Basically all you need is something that can hold 1-2 ft of soil/sand that way when shes ready to lay her eggs she can start digging tunnels to bury them. If not shell keep her eggs in and die.

 

[wontbme]

i use a tin sheet and the water leaks from the sides, the sheet bends to the side to make the water travel over to the right, and then bends down to pour into my water disposal.

also, what size should i get my cage then?
28" x 16.5" x 30"

how is that? from

16 x 16 x 21
being my current.
a good vertical increase and a good increase horizontal

 

[Leroux2008]

lol don't feel bad I was overfeeding mine XD Didn't even realize it. Both of mine are a year and I was feeding them from 5-8 crickets a day each and like 2 superworms somedays and still some crickets.... That can also be a problem especially for a female being you will cause her to produce more eggs which becomes harder for her in her laying process.

 

[Leroux2008]

Ive read somewheres that females are okay with living in an enclosure up to 30" high is the minimum you should be. 36" for a male.... but the taller the better. Carol says the best standard to go with is a 24"24"48"

 

[wontbme]

Ive read somewheres that females are okay with living in an enclosure up to 30" high is the minimum you should be. 36" for a male.... but the taller the better. Carol says the best standard to go with is a 24"24"48"

what about when shes a giant? can i stick with that same size or do i upgrade again?

 

[Leroux2008]

Like I said most adults females can be put 30" as smallest. Though personally Id want to go a little taller than that. Also being that you have a Veiled I probably go a little bigger also they are one of the biggest.

 

[wontbme]

Like I said most adults females can be put 30" as smallest. Though personally Id want to go a little taller than that. Also being that you have a Veiled I probably go a little bigger also they are one of the biggest.

mmk then, so a new permanent home, thats what i was looking for. thanks alot guys, i feel like everything was covered so far
i just wish the cages werent so expensive QQ

 

[Leroux2008]

I know tell me about it... I want a 48" tall cage but they are pricey. I want to try to make a cage...

 

[wontbme]

I know tell me about it... I want a 48" tall cage but they are pricey. I want to try to make a cage...

im looking into methods of extending my pre-existing one... couldnt be hard to just make it more vertical you know?

 

[Leroux2008]

ya I know my cage I can buy another section and make it taller if I wanted to.... but just for another little section cost more than a taller cage so ima just look into making one XD Plus I like wood cages more..... Right now I have a plastic frame its not the best looking.

 

[wontbme]

okay so a new cage is a DEFINITE necessity? when should i, for my cham's sake, purchase this new cage? she's 4 going on 5 months old, any ideas?

 

[veiled]

i see alot of people on here saying their cham is stressed in the new bigger cage. but they do adjust and are happier. well, i personally wouldnt want to wait till she has eggs to move her. even though she'd probably be fine, the last thing you need is a stressed out cham with eggs. so i think i would have her in her permanent cage when shes 6 months.